Publications

The contemporary way of life is characterised by constant demands of citizens for the construction and modernization of public infrastructure and the improvement of the quality of public services, especially at the local level. Bearing in mind the budgetary constraints, there is a need to seek new modalities for better efficiency of public service provision and financing of projects of public importance, where public-private partnerships and concessions are becoming more and more important.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) represents long-term cooperation between the public and the private sector in the joint implementation of projects of public importance. This form of cooperation should combine the best on both sides - the responsibility of the government that takes care of the public interest, as well as the management skills, flexibility and economy of the private sector. The basic elements of the PPP concept are a clear allocation of responsibilities, risk sharing and long-term partnership duration. PPP allows each partner to take the risk they can manage in the most adequate way, thus achieving greater efficiency in the use of public resources and better quality of services.
The study "On the road to EU integrations - improving legal and institutional framework of PPP in Serbia" was developed with the support of the Open Society Foundation of Serbia through the Improvement of Democratic Practices and Institutions Program.
The study provides a comprehensive overview of legal regulations and the role of institutions at the national, provincial and local levels in planning, contracting, implementing and monitoring PPP projects. The study also provides an overview of PPP projects, both proposed and contracted. The study also addressed the issue of transparency in the PPP process. In the end, the final provisions and recommendations for improving the system of functioning of PPP in Serbia are given.

Business entities in the Serb-majority municipalities in Northern Kosovo: Mitrovica North, Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan have been operating for years in an unfavourable business environment characterized by security challenges, market limitation, complicated administrative procedures and problems in free movement of people, goods and services. Having in mind that businesses from Kosovo have mostly been operating in the Serbian legal system, the situation is additionally complicated with the signing of the Brussels Agreement, when Kosovo’s legal framework is established in the territory of the observed municipalities.
The policy study analyses the state of the economy in the four municipalities in Northern Kosovo, especially in the circumstances that followed the signing of the Brussels Agreement. The Study gives an insight into the structure of the economy in Northern Kosovo, dynamics of registration of business entities, scope of the labour market, as well as the role of international donors and chambers of commerce in creating a more favourable business environment. The last part contains final observations and recommendations for the development of economy in Northern Kosovo. The study is available in Serbian, Albanian and English Language.
The Policy Study was developed within the project "Analysis of economy in North Kosovo after the Brussels Agreement – where are employment opportunities?", implemented by the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), in partnership with RTV Mir from Leposavic and with the financial support from the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS). The project was implemented between April 2017 and January 2018. The content of the study is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not reflect the views of the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society or RTV Mir.

There are 20 business incubators operating in Serbia, with an average of four employees. Most incubators are in thr territory of Belgrade. Since 2011, four new incubators have been established, and 10 have closed or changed activity.

Serb-majority municipalities in North Kosovo, Mitrovica North/Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan are facing challenges which go far beyond the framework of local self-governments anywhere in the world.
Due to persistent refusal to accept the solutions imposed by the UNMIK administration, and later by the Kosovo Government, these municipalities were placed in the centre of political events, primarily for the purpose of their integration into the constitutional and legal system of Kosovo. As a result, the so-called "institutional hybrid" was created in these municipalities, in which they operate according to the laws of Serbia, UNMIK and Kosovo, in accordance with the possibilities in the given circumstances and the political will of the local authorities.
In this Study, the authors give a comprehensive overview of the institutional changes and functioning of local self-governments in North Kosovo since the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement and the arrival of the UNMIK mission.
The Study was written as a part of the project “Support to local self-government administration reform in Northern Kosovo” funded by the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, and implemented by InTER. The Project is implemented between March 2016 and July 2017. More information about the project is available at our page: www.regionalnirazvoj.org.